B. about 1810 in County Mayo, Ireland
M. before 1834 in (probably) County Mayo, Ireland
Husband: Lawrence McGuire
D. after 1880 in (probably) Sullivan County, New York
Julia McGuire was a victim of the times in which she lived and the drinking of her husband. She was born in County Mayo, Ireland in about 1810 to a very poor family whose name is unknown. Her father was a farmer and likely an alcoholic; her mother was said to be intemperate. She had no education, and reportedly, no siblings.
During the early 1830s, Julia married Lawrence McGuire, a peasant farmer. On Christmas Day of 1834, she gave birth to a son, and by 1850, had three more children. With large gaps in their ages, it’s possible that she had other babies who didn’t survive. County Mayo was one of the hardest hit areas of Ireland during the potato famine; it was estimated that about 90% of the people there depended on the potato crop for their food and livelihood. By 1851, Julia and her family were unable to continue living there, and like many others around them, fled to the United States. The record of their immigration hasn’t been found.
Julia's family settled in the town of Thompson, in Sullivan County, New York. There they acquired a small farm, which was valued at $300 in 1860. One-by-one, the children moved out, until by 1875, it was just Julia and Lawrence living there alone. Their income that year was almost non-existent; the farm only produced about 20 bushels of potatoes, and they didn’t own any farm animals.
There was evidence that Lawrence was a major cause of their poverty due to his addiction to alcohol. Julia reached a point at age 65 where she could no longer work, and the decision was made to move out on Lawrence. She refused to impose on any of her married children, saying that they barely had enough money to live on themselves. With nobody else to support her, she had no choice but to go into the county poorhouse where she was admitted on November 11, 1875; it was a place she had previously stayed for one month at an unknown time.
The Sullivan County Poorhouse was an institution that was part shelter for the poor and part insane asylum. It had an adjoining farm where inmates who were physically able worked to harvest hay, wheat and other products to help pay the expenses of the facility. During the years Julia lived in the poorhouse, it held roughly 100 residents. Needless to say, the accommodations were rough; in January 1879, it was reported that one of the residents froze to death for lack of heat.
Julia spent at least five years at the poorhouse. The 1880 census showed that her time there had taken a toll because she had become one of the people described as “insane.” Given her age, she probably suffered from some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, Lawrence continued to live alone on his farm. Both of them likely died within a few years of that date.
Children:
1. Patrick H. McGuire — B. 25 Dec 1834, (probably) County Mayo, Ireland; D. 1 Apr 1882, Washington Lake, Minnesota; M. (1) Bridget Tuffy, before 1857, (probably) Sullivan County, New York; (2) Mary Toole (1846-1904), 7 Jan 1867, Henderson, Minnesota
2. Bridget McGuire — B. about 1836, (probably) County Mayo, Ireland; after 11 Nov 1875
3. Michael McGuire — B. about 1842, (probably) County Mayo, Ireland; after 11 Nov 1875
4. Catherine McGuire — B. about 1850, (probably) County Mayo, Ireland; after 11 Nov 1875
Sources:
1860, 1870, and 1880 U.S. Censuses in New York
1855 New York State census
1875 Sullivan County, New York poorhouse records
Marriage certificate of Patrick McGuire and Mary Toole, Henderson, Minnesota, 7 Jan 1867
Death certificate of Patrick McGuire, Washington Lake, Minnesota, 1 Apr 1882
Port Jervis Evening Gazette, January 25, 1879 and September 26, 1884
